Union movement Cosatu’s announcement that it is lobbying for Cyril Ramaphosa to succeed Jacob Zuma as leader of the ruling African National Congress flies in the face of its president’s known support for the man from Nkandla.

“The Cosatu Central Executive Committee resolves to support Cyril Ramaphosa to take over the reins as the next president of the ANC... The ANC leadership to be elected must have a commitment to fight against corruption and also unify the movement‚” the union movement’s executive said.

Cosatu’s leadership said they want to see the investigation into alleged State Capture extended beyond the limited scope that was given to Public Protector. It also called mineral resources minister Mosebenzi Zwane — viewed as an ally of both Zuma and the Gupta family — to step aside or to be dismissed‚ saying it had lost confidence in his ability to provide leadership to curb killings in the mining sector.

In October 2015‚ Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini called on ANC members to stop debating who is going to replace President Zuma when his turn comes up as the ruling party’s president in 2017‚ saying it was divisive.

In September 2014‚ Dlamini also complained at an ANC conference about “comrades who were already talking about 2017”.

At Cosatu’s national congress in November last year‚ the issue of ANC succession was raised by affiliates with several endorsing a stance that the deputy president should succeed Zuma when the party leader is voted on in 2017. But this was quashed — then.

Earlier this month‚ Nehawu‚ one of the largest Cosatu affiliates‚ broke ranks.

“Whilst we believe that no single individual‚ even as President of the country‚ can be solely responsible for all the socio-economic and political ills in our society and whilst we appreciate that Comrade Jacob Zuma has served our struggle well over the years‚ the organised working class cannot stand idle by and be silent when it is clear that the revolution is taking a disastrous trajectory as it needlessly lurches from crisis to crisis‚” the union said. “Therefore Nehawu calls on Comrade Jacob Zuma to take the honourable and courageous decision in the interests of the ANC and our people by resigning as the President of South Africa.”

While Cosatu does not vote in the ANC election‚ many of its leaders are also key members of the party and they have clout. It played a key role in the election of Zuma in 2007 in Polokwane and his re-election in 2012

The Cosatu president has been a longtime supporter of Zuma.

In 2012‚ a few days after Cosatu’s highest decision-making body‚ the central executive committee‚ publicly stated that it would not endorse an ANC leader‚ Dlamini told a workers day rally: “Leading to Polokwane‚ we said as Cosatu that we need a certain character of leadership‚ and we said we will support that leadership and support the resolutions of Polokwane. We will work with that leadership as we go to Mangaung and beyond. There is nothing that has changed from the position we took leading to Polokwane. We still stand at that position and nobody must be confused.”